Ace: Kanto
by DreamWeaverInfinity
Summary: Nine skilled trainers from different regions compete against one another on a new show called "Ace". Kanto is the first stop. They must go through every landmark starting with Viridian Forest and ending at Cerulean Cave, but with certain stipulations. How far will they go to win and who will emerge victorious? OC's Accepted
1. Back in Action

**Back in Action**

" _Trust me, Rod, when they air it on television, you're going to be a household name. Mom and Dad are going to be so excited when they see it…"_

Rodrick Bahari listened at his older sister go on and on as she drove him to the Castelia City airport. After his loss at the Unova League, the sixteen-year old had taken some time off to relax with his Pokémon and pursue other interests.

"I mean that's great and all, Desiree…" Rodrick told her. "But I'm really only doing this because I don't have any money or anything better to do. I'm not looking to become a 'household name' or anything like that."

Rodrick was one of nine teenage trainers selected to be on a new reality show called _Ace_. From what Rodrick knew, the trainers would be filmed traveling through the major landmarks in a region with a few stipulations added. Kanto was the first region that this show was taking place in and that was the extent of Rodrick's knowledge. While he was curious to see what he had gotten himself into, he thought that Desiree was making it a much bigger deal than it was.

"Hey," she replied as she pulled the car into the airport. "I had to pull some major strings to get you on this show. You said that you didn't really know what you were going to do after you came home from the Pokémon League, so maybe this will be a way to help you find yourself again. Wow, I should have been a psychologist."

"You're way too corporate for that," Rodrick joked.

Desiree was a clerk at Castelia's Battle Company. She was only twenty-six years old and had only been working at the company for about four years, but was already considered one of the top clerks at the company. Rodrick had heard rumors that the former president of the Battle Company liked to dress up and pretend to be a janitor for some odd reason and that the current president was a preteen. He dismissed them quickly though since his sister would not be the type to engage in anything that absurd. Desiree had always been business minded with clear goals while Rodrick took a more lax approach towards his aspirations.

In fact, one of the only things that the two siblings had in common were their looks and even those traits were displayed differently. They had the same black hair, but Desiree kept hers tied back in a professional bun while Rodrick styled his in long dreadlocks. They also shared their mother's tawny skin tone and their father's amber eyes. However, Desiree's eyes always fixated into a burning gaze full of life instead of the relatively mellow expression of Rodrick's.

"Alright, Rod, this is it," Desiree said. "I put all of your gear in your bag and I'll be sending you some more stuff later on. The only thing you have to do is advertise the company's brand by wearing the gear during your challenges. Think you can get off your radical anti-establishment soapbox to do that for me?"

"If it gets me out of this car fast enough," Rodrick replied with a grin. He turned his attention to the sleeping canine Pokémon in the backseat. "Stoutland, wake up. It's time to go."

Stoutland slowly emerged from his slumber with a yawn. Rodrick stepped out of the car to let his partner out and to grab his belongings. Desiree stepped out as well in order to be certain that her brother had everything that he needed.

"Looks like you're all set," she said. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"Wow, sis, I really appreciate-"

"Oh, sorry," Desiree interrupted him as she began petting Stoutland on the head. "I was actually talking to Stoutland. He actually helped with cleaning my apartment while you ate granola bars and snored so loud that I could hear you from outside."

"I'm sensing some hostility," Rodrick stated.

"And you're going to get more than that if you miss your flight," Desiree continued as she got back inside the car. "Call me when you land and get situated. Good luck."

Rodrick gave her a nod and a smile before she started driving away. Navigating through the airport was thankfully not as much as a hassle as Rodrick had expected. Desiree would often complain about Castelia's airports when she returned from her business trips, but Rodrick assumed that it had to do more with Desiree herself than the airport.

" _Last call for Flight 281 to Viridian City! Last call for Flight 281 to Viridian City!"_

"That's us," Rodrick told Stoutland. "Let's do it…"

* * *

The long flight to Kanto was mostly spent with both trainer and Pokémon in a deep slumber. Rodrick figured that they should both be well rested since he did not have much of an idea of what was going to happen once they arrived.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Viridian City. We hope you have enjoyed your flight…"_

"So…this is Kanto…" Rodrick said to himself as he and Stoutland stepped out of the Viridian City airport. "Okay, Stoutland, we're supposed to head to the Trainer House. It's on the east side of the city, so it shouldn't be too far from here. Ready to go?"

Stoutland gave a nod and the two headed off. As they made their way through the city, Rodrick could see that Viridian was much smaller compared to Castelia and much more green. It certainly appeared to be a place that Rodrick could get used to. Once they reached the Pokémon Center, Rodrick noticed the large building across the street from them and immediately realized that it was the Trainer House.

"Stoutland, are you ready to-"

He was cut off by the sound of a low but menacing growl. Stoutland immediately began barking which caused the growling to continue. Rodrick turned around and found himself staring into the piercing yellow eyes of a ferocious looking Luxray.

" _Looks like we finally found one, Luxray…"_

The voice belonged to a young man who approached them, presumably Luxray's trainer. He appeared to be around Rodrick's age, maybe slightly older judging by the small amount of scruff on his chin. He was slightly above average height with shaggy, dirty blond hair and a thin, slightly lanky build. His eyes were a striking blue and his fairer features contrasted his darker clothes.

"Cool Luxray, man," Rodrick complimented.

"Be careful, he bites," the other young man remarked as Luxray bared his teeth. "So that's a Stoutland, huh?"

"Yeah," Rodrick answered. "He-"

"Since you have that Pokémon, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you're not from around here," the other boy interrupted to which Rodrick gave a nod of confirmation. "Good, that means I'm probably right."

"About what?" Rodrick asked curiously.

"You're here to be on that new show, _Ace_ ," the boy replied. "My name is Nikolai, Nik for short. I'm from Sinnoh and I'm going to be on _Ace_ too."

Rodrick was definitely interested in this trainer now. Nik was the first of the other eight trainers that he had met and the other boy definitely appeared to be the real deal.

"I'm Rodrick from Unova," he said as he extended a hand. "It's cool to meet another trainer who's going to be on the show."

"I could say the same…" Nik stated as he shook Rodrick's hand before harshly releasing his grip. "But…I'm not just going to be on the show. I'm going to _win_ every challenge starting with Viridian Forest."

"Viridian Forest?" Rodrick questioned.

Nik smirked. "You obviously didn't do your research and it's not my job to educate the ignorant."

"Oh, I can just tell that you're going to be a ray of sunshine for the next few months…" Rodrick commented.

"I can be," Nik told him. "All you have to do is stick with me and I'll make sure you get second place. What do you say, Rodrick?"

"As awesome as second place sounds…" Rodrick began. "I'm going to have to say thanks but no thanks, Nik. Sorry, but my sister promised to make her delicious cheese and tofu pizza for me once a week for the rest of my life if I win. Can't risk cheese and tofu pizza."

"I see you're a funny guy, huh?" Nik snapped.

"Cheese and tofu pizza is serious business," Rodrick replied. "There's nothing funny about that."

Nik glared daggers at him for a split second before his face twisted into one of the most disturbing grins that Rodrick had ever seen. The blond boy simply shrugged his shoulders before speaking.

"Fine. If you don't want to come in second then I can damn sure do everything in my power to make you come in _dead_ last. As a matter of fact, how about I send you crying home right now? Luxray, let's crush this clown."

Rodrick glanced at Stoutland as Luxray stepped forward, ready to battle. He knew that his mouth had gotten him into this situation, but Rodrick could not resist especially after how condescending Nik had been. Besides, he had not lied about anything. Desiree had made that promise which was the reason for Rodrick giving her the permission to submit his application to the producers.

"Man, all this over some pizza," Rodrick stated. "I take it you're more a hamburger and fries type of guy?"

"You won't be so comical when Luxray rips your Pokémon to shreds," Nik said. "I'm definitely going to enjoy that. Now, man up and stop stalling. If they picked you to be on _Ace_ then I know that you have to have some skill. Come on, Rodrick, show me what you got."

"Guess I don't really have a choice…" Rodrick said with a sigh as he turned to Stoutland. "Forget about the fact that we just got off a plane and all. Stoutland, time to get back in action…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: So there goes the first chapter. A little more on the humor side, but hey what's life without a little humor.**

 **So there are only seven spots open for main characters (3 males, 4 females). The OC form is on my profile, so feel free to send them in. It's a mix of first come, first serve but I'll also be looking at the best ones as well, so if they're good, they get first priority.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Producer

**The Producer**

" _Luxray, crunch!"_

" _Stoutland, crunch…"_

Rodrick and Nik watched on as their two Pokémon began clamping their jaws on one another. Rodrick noticed that Luxray's crunch was slightly more powerful than Stoutland's.

"Rivalry ability, huh?" Rodrick remarked. "Pretty legit and appropriate given the circumstances…"

"Hey, dumbass," Nik replied coolly. "I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but you're not supposed to give props to your opponent especially during the battle. Luxray, use crunch once again!"

"Return…" Rodrick countered.

Luxray opened his mouth to bite down on Stoutland once more, but the canine Pokémon was unaffected as he was engulfed in a white aura. Luxray released Stoutland from his grip and was immediately tackled with enough force to send him flying past his trainer and into the back wall of the Pokémon Center. Luxray let out a howl of pain and Nik's eyes widened in shock.

"You're going to pay for that," he told Rodrick before shifting his attention to his Pokémon. "Luxray, on your feet!"

Rodrick was surprised to see that Luxray was able to get to his feet as quickly as he did, though it was obvious that he was damaged from Stoutland's attack.

"Look, Nik," Rodrick started. "How about we just call this battle off? The last thing we need is our Pokémon getting injured before the show even starts."

"Don't back out now just because Luxray was able to shake your attack off!" Nik snapped. "Wild charge, max power!"

Luxray howled once more, this time much louder, as his body became surrounded by some much electricity that it was nearly blinding. Luxray charged at Stoutland and collided into him with all the power that he could muster. However, the recoil from the attack sent Luxray rolling back and crashing onto the ground. Both Pokémon looked to be completely out of it and Rodrick knew that it was time for him to get serious.

"Alright, this battle is over," he stated clearly. "Luxray was already hurt from Stoutland's attack and then you had him use wild charge. What were you thinking?"

"Your Pokémon's down," Nik said smugly. "That's all that matters to me."

"Hey genius," Rodrick shot back as he recalled Stoutland to his poké ball. "Your Pokémon is down too."

"Whatever…" Nik replied as he reached for another poké ball. "I still have five Pokémon left. Tie breaker?"

" _That's enough, boys. Save it for the cameras!"_

The look of the man who approached them seemed completely out of place from what Rodrick had seen around Viridian. He was tanned with dark brown hair slicked back with gel. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses despite the fact that it was night time and his goatee was especially noticeable due to the grin plastered on his face. The man was in a black suit and appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Who the hell are you?" Nik asked him rudely.

"Who the hell am _I_?" the man seemed slightly offended. "You don't recognize Garett Snife? Producer of Poké Star hits like _Future Sight_ and _Shock Wave_ , ever seen those?"

"Oh yeah…" Nik said. "Both of those movies sucked. I still want my refund."

"…And…" Snife continued, ignoring Nik's comment. "Creator and producer of the new show, _Ace_."

Before the conversation could continue, the three of them were joined by a fourth person. She was a young woman with light brown hair and dark green eyes hidden behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. She was carrying a Leafeon in her arms and appeared to be out of breath.

"Sir…" she said as she took a deep breath. "We are extremely busy tonight. I'm going to have to ask you _not_ to go wandering off."

"Boys, let me introduce you to my most valuable partner," Snife started before grabbing Leafeon from the woman's arms. "This is Leafeon!"

"Excuse me!" the woman interjected.

"Oh and that's my assistant, Tara Jaffrey," Snife said indifferently. "She does all the boring stuff like setting up cameras, reserving hotels, and handling all the legal trouble. But enough about her, let's talk about you two!"

"Us two…?" Rodrick asked, obviously confused.

Snife nodded his head. "Rodrick Bahari and Nikolai Vinson. I've watched the videos of your league battles, read over your applications which included hobbies and interests, and observed everything that's just taken place between you two. I can see it now, Team Radical Rodrick versus Team Notorious Nikolai. An intense rivalry between the two of you, the fans will eat it up!"

"Wait a moment…" Rodrick began. "You want us to pretend to hate each other so that you can get ratings? Is that what you're saying?"

"You definitely don't have to worry about that," Nik remarked. "I don't even have to pretend. I already hate this clown."

"That's the spirit!" Snife said excitedly. "Tara, take Nikolai and his Luxray inside the Pokémon center. Once everything is copasetic, meet us back at the hotel. Oh and take Leafeon with you."

Snife stuffed Leafeon back into Tara's arms. Nikolai recalled Luxray to his poké ball and followed the young woman, being sure to give Rodrick the middle finger before departing.

"Classy…" Rodrick remarked.

"How about you and I go get something to eat?" Snife suggested. "Come on..."

* * *

After everything he had been through today, Rodrick felt that a proper meal would be good for him, especially since Snife was paying. They found a nearby restaurant and decided to eat there. The food in Kanto was much different from what they had in Unova and he was glad that he at least had the opportunity to try them all while he was in the region. He ultimately decided on yakisoba and was halfway through the bowl when Snife started speaking.

"Your sister was the one who recommended you, right?" Snife said. "I'll be honest, even though you competed in the Unova League, you don't seem like the type to do something like this. What's your story?"

"My story…?" Rodrick questioned.

"Yeah," Snife continued. "Why are you here? What's your reason?"

"Honestly," Rodrick replied. "I don't know. I lost at the Unova League and after that, it's like I've been lost. My parents and my sister all have their own 'thing' and I've always kind of gone with the flow. I thought this would be better than lazing around my sister's apartment."

"Interesting…" Snife noted. "I'm definitely looking forward to see how you deal with the challenges. So, Rodrick, do you have any questions for me?"

There was something about Garrett Snife that Rodrick could not figure out. With Nik, it was obvious that he was slightly psychotic, but Rodrick could not tell if Snife was a stereotypical sleazy producer or if there was more to him than that. Regardless, his main concern was the show itself and what it entailed.

"What is _Ace_?" Rodrick asked. "And what are these 'challenges' that we have to do?"

"I can't really tell you everything now," Snife replied. "Can't have you or anyone else getting an unfair advantage. I will let you know a little bit about the challenges. They're basically like stipulations imposed on the landmarks that you all will be traveling through. The landmarks that the trainers will be traveling to and doing challenges are Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, Diglett's Cave, Rock Tunnel, the Seafoam Islands, and last but not least, Cerulean Cave. There'll be some other places too, but those are the most important. If the show is a hit, and it will be, season two will take place in Johto. I see a global franchise in the future!"

Rodrick let out a sigh. Snife had not really answered anything, but he refused to allow himself to get frustrated. His curiosity was killing him, but he knew that he would discover everything himself when the time came.

"Hey…" Rodrick said. "Thanks for the food, I appreciate it. Mind if I go for a walk and clear my head? After the plane ride, the drama with that lunatic, and the awe of meeting _the_ Garrett Snife, I think I need a little break from all this overwhelming excitement…"

"I'm glad that at least one of you recognizes my genius," Snife replied, oblivious to the teenager's sarcastic tone. "Go ahead. I'll meet you at the hotel with the other trainers. Rodrick, tomorrow is the start of the rest of your life. Get ready!"

Rodrick nodded before making his way to the exit, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And now we've met our producer. Strange guy isn't he? Anyway, this chapter was short too but I want to ease into the story before it got too heavy.**

 **OC's are still open for the time being and I'll edit this when I close them. They'll also start appearing next chapter, so stay tuned for that.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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